Polk County Commission Approves Poinciana Park Addition

A $1.6 million deal with Rodda Construction is OK'd.

Published: Tuesday, December 3, 2013 at 3:31 p.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, December 4, 2013 at 2:53 a.m.

BARTOW | The rest of Poinciana's new park will be completed by next summer.

County commissioners voted Tuesday to approve a $1.6 million contract with Rodda Construction to build the second phase of the county park on the south end of Poinciana.

Construction is expected to begin about the first of the year, said Mike Callender, the county's parks and recreation manager.

Callender said the second phase will include two baseball/softball fields, a concession stand, additional parking, completion of a walking trail around the park and a second entrance, which will provide access to the park from Poinciana Parkway.

Construction is scheduled to be completed by May, he said.

The first phase of the 28-acre park opened in October. It contains a playground, multipurpose fields, a basketball court, dog park, concession stand and a building for family gatherings and other events.

The overall cost of both phases is $6 million, most of it coming from a portion of the county property tax dedicated to park projects.

Poinciana residents had lobbied commissioners for parks and other improvements in this relatively remote area of the county that in the past had not been served.

[ Tom Palmer can be reached at tom.palmer@theledger.com or 863-802-7535. Read more views on the environment at http://environment.blogs.theledger.com and more views on county government at http://county.blogs.theledger.com/. Follow on Twitter @LedgerTom. ]

<p>BARTOW | The rest of Poinciana's new park will be completed by next summer.</p><p>County commissioners voted Tuesday to approve a $1.6 million contract with Rodda Construction to build the second phase of the county park on the south end of Poinciana.</p><p>Construction is expected to begin about the first of the year, said Mike Callender, the county's parks and recreation manager.</p><p>Callender said the second phase will include two baseball/softball fields, a concession stand, additional parking, completion of a walking trail around the park and a second entrance, which will provide access to the park from Poinciana Parkway.</p><p>Construction is scheduled to be completed by May, he said.</p><p>The first phase of the 28-acre park opened in October. It contains a playground, multipurpose fields, a basketball court, dog park, concession stand and a building for family gatherings and other events.</p><p>The overall cost of both phases is $6 million, most of it coming from a portion of the county property tax dedicated to park projects.</p><p>Poinciana residents had lobbied commissioners for parks and other improvements in this relatively remote area of the county that in the past had not been served.</p><p> </p><p>[ Tom Palmer can be reached at tom.palmer@theledger.com or 863-802-7535. Read more views on the environment at http://environment.blogs.theledger.com and more views on county government at http://county.blogs.theledger.com/. Follow on Twitter @LedgerTom. ]</p>